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Foxes, Dreams and Nature's Gifts.

My annual retreat to the Pindos mountains is a means of escaping the heat of summer. I do not rest though - mountain houses need work; snow-melt drains must be cleared, ceiling holes filled, brambles cut back. I endure all this as the climate and vegetation at 1200+ meters above sea level in Greece are similar to England, so I feel right at home. My kids also love running wild and experiencing raw nature. They gathered enough early blackberries to make a delicious pie and a pound of jelly, and I collected oregano for the whole year.

Blackberry and apple pie.
The highlights of this year had to be feeding Marios the fox cub who, with his brother Max, and his sister Maria, scavenged for tidbits around the houses in the settlement, after dark. Watching the meteorite showers from the mountain top and, most significantly for me, finally getting to see the Milky Way! (I've always been in places too light polluted or there's been too much cloud cover!) The squirrels in the roof were chilling not partying so I got more sleep. Oh, and there were no giant spiders either! (Last year I found a spider bigger than my hand under the bed.)

Marios the fox cub taking tidbits from one of the children.
I am a nocturnal writer, but in the mountains  I sleep early to wake early, so little actual writing gets done. There are other benefits - I remember my dreams for one, and this year I had quite a few. I love dreams that have that weird horror feel to them. Often, I can dream a whole story, usually dark and claustrophobic, full of tension. I have outlines for at least two complete horror shorts!

Soon available from Fox Spirit Books.
The last time this happened was with 'Tickets to Ride' which is finally due out next month from Fox Spirit's Fox Pocket anthology, Reflections. This story is a full dream, including the names! (No one I know, I promise you.) I have changed the beginning and the ending just a tad. So if you want to know what goes on in my head, grab your dream decoder and a copy of Reflections!

 Note: This post should have gone out a few weeks ago, but due to health issues things have been going real slow. I'm trying to get back on track and hopefully I'll have some new stuff for you in a few days! 
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